The Maestro, the Magistrate, and the Mathematician by Tendai Huchu
I received an early review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I really loved this book. The characters and plot are swirling around in my brain and I know I will need to read this book again. Now, pen to paper as I try to tame all my thoughts about this story.
PLOT
The plot centers around three main characters. They are transplants from Zimbabwe in Scotland and are each struggling, in their own ways, to find a way to belong. The three story lines start out separately and then overlap in interesting and surprising ways. The narrator's voice at first reminded me of Alexander MCCall Smith - slow and rhythmic centering around word dense but interesting conversations. It was so easy to just relax into the flow of this book. I immediately was in touch with this moment in each character's life. The book starts at a pivotal moment in time for each person and then, over the course of the book, we hear parts of their back story. The ending was intriguing but I don't want to spoil it by saying more
CHARACTERS
This is the best sort of story in that the plot is driven by the lives and conversations of the characters. As mentioned earlier, we enter the book at a pivotal point. Each person has been dealing with assimilation and now they are facing personal challenges that will change their shapes and mold them powerfully. We are immersed in their Zimbabwe culture as well as their new life in Scotland. These two cultures bang violently against each but eventually find a way to merge. This author is also very tactile with his characters. They experience life viscerally. For example, one character is mapping his Scottish city using music from Zimbabwe to mark each spot in his mind. I did not recognize the artists but found myself mesmerized by his descriptions of the life conveyed in the songs. Really rich imagery.

My only complaint about the book is that the ending feels like a major change in tone. However, I cannot get the ending out of my head. I've been thinking about it for two days now. Does the tone shift rotate our view from Scotland to seeing things from the perspective of Zimbabwe? I don't know, it just has me thinking.
In conclusion, the book isn't perfect. The people in the book are flawed and even often unsympathetic but they are people to me.
Thank you for a chance to read and review this book!
Pemmycats ( )